Demolition work on a former food store in Johnstone is gathering pace as part of a major regeneration project aimed at transforming the town centre.
The Houstoun Court building, commonly known as the old Presto, is being flattened by contractors as work continues on the site.
The demolition has been described as marking “the end of an era” for the town, with the building having been a familiar feature of Johnstone town centre for decades.
The works form a key part of plans to create two new business units, alongside a green link connecting Houstoun Square and Ludovic Square, with reconfigured parking and public spaces, planting and drainage.
Renfrewshire Council approved the appointment of Greenock-based contractor Caskie to carry out the demolition at a meeting of its finance, resources and customer services policy board more than three months ago.
The demolition contract has a total value of £262,305.57, excluding VAT. The figure includes the contract sum and contingency funding.
Funding for the project comes from two sources. A total of £200,000 has been allocated through the Scottish Government’s Place-Based Investment Programme, while a further £62,305.57 comes from town centre regeneration funding approved by Renfrewshire Council in March 2022.
Councillor Chris Gilmour, representing Johnstone North and the surrounding villages, said: “For many who worked there and had their first jobs there, it really is the end of an era.
“But I hope we are in the dawn of a new era where we’ll see a number of improvements to Johnstone town centre and a couple of extra shops.
Sadly, this building is now redundant and we have to move on. The old motto is Gang Forward’ and that’s what we’ve got to do.
“The green link is very exciting. For years and years we’ve discussed how we can connect Houstoun Square and Ludovic Square, which are both fantastic civic areas, and this is an ideal opportunity to do that.”
As the former food store disappears, attention will now turn to the next stage of the regeneration plans and the proposed changes to the heart of Johnstone town centre.